Preces Quotidianae
Morning Appeal to the Lord
The heading introduces the failing world, which gives way to the psalmist’s declaration of morning prayer and the accompanying citation.
On the World's Failing1 Lord, in the morning you'll hear my voice. In the morning I will stand before you, and you will see me.2 Ps.3 v. ὃ.4
Praise for the Heavens and Their Powers
The prayer blesses God for creating the firmament, angelic hosts, waters above the heavens, and all meteorological wonders.
Blessed are you, Lord, who created the firmament of heaven, the heavens, and the heavens of heavens, the heavenly powers, the angels, the archangels, the cherubim, the seraphim,✦✦ 1. the waters above the heavens, Vapors, Exhalations, from which the rains come; ice like a morsel; dew; mists from the ends of the earth; hail; lightnings; thunders; snow like wool; winds from the treasuries; frost like ashes; storms.5
Thanksgiving for the Waters Below and Their Gifts
The prayer gives thanks for the waters beneath the heavens, acknowledging their use for drinking and washing.
Confession and Plea for Mercy
The worshipper confesses personal and ancestral sins, acknowledging transgression against God, and begs the Lord not to set those iniquities before His sight.
I will confess my iniquities, and the iniquities of my ancestors,✦ Because I've transgressed and neglected you, Lord, and walked contrary to you.8 Do not, Lord, do not set my iniquities before your sight:
Read the original Latin
DFEETU SECULI NIE
EXAUDIES vocem meam mane, Domine,
Mane astabo tibi, et videbis me. Psal. v. ὃ.
Benedictus es Domine, Qui creasti Firmamentum Coeli, Coelos, et Coelos Coelorum, Potestates coelestes, Angelos, Archangelos, Cherubim, Seraphim,
1. Aquas supra Coelos,
Vapores,
Exhalationes, Unde Imbres, Crystallus sicut buccella, Ros, Nebule ab extremitatibus terre, Grando, Fulgura, Tonitrua, Nix sicut lana, Venti ex thesauris, Pruina sicut cinis, Procell:e.
2. Aquas infra Coelos,
Ad { potionem,
lotionem.
Confitebor iniquitates meas, et iniquitates majorum meorum,
Quia przvaricatus sum, et neglexi te, Domine, et ambulavi ex adverso tibi.
Ne, Domine, ne ponas iniquitates meas in conspectu tuo:
Scripture echoes
- ↩Gen.1.6-Gen.1.8 — And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate waters from waters." Gen.1.7 — And God made the expanse, and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. Gen.1.8 — And God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning — a second day.
- ↩Ps.148.4;1Kgs.8.27 — Praise him, O highest heavens, and the waters above the heavens. 1Kgs.8.27 — But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you—how much less this house that I have built!
- ↩Gen.1.6-Gen.1.7 — And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate waters from waters." Gen.1.7 — And God made the expanse, and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so.
- ↩Neh.1.6;Dan.9.16 — Let your ear be attentive and your eyes be open to hear the prayer of your servant, which I am praying before you day and night, on behalf of the people of Israel your servants, and confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have committed against you—I and my father's house have sinned. Dan.9.16 — O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, let Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all who are around us.
Notes
- 1 ↩Supplied Latin DFEETU SECULI NIE is not readable as printed. Most plausible correction of the first two tokens is DEFECTU SÆCULI (or DE DEFECTU SÆCULI as a rubric), i.e. a short heading on the failing/defect of the world/age. Final token NIE has no secure reconstruction and may be OCR debris.
- 2 ↩Source reads videbis me (“you will see me”). The familiar Vulgate line of Ps 5 is often videbo (“I will see/look”); render the supplied text as given.
- 3 ↩Abbreviated citation label Psal. (Psalmus/Psalm), kept as a short modern Bible-reference form.
- 4 ↩Greek ὃ. is preserved as printed. It may be a siglum, damaged numeral, or OCR/type artifact in the citation string Psal. v. ὃ.; sense is uncertain.
- 5 ↩Terminal form `Procell:e` is treated as `Procellæ` (storms/tempests); likely abbreviation or encoding corruption.
- 6 ↩Source reads 'Ad { potionem,' with a stray '{' before potionem; rendered as the clear phrase Ad potionem (for drinking), continuing the waters list into section 10's lotionem.
- 7 ↩Bare accusative lotionem. without Ad or other construction; neighboring PrecesPriv.1.34.9 has 'Ad { potionem,' and may reflect a split or corrupt rubric (e.g. Ad lotionem / Ad potionem). Rendered as the noun alone; full rubric sense remains uncertain.
- 8 ↩Source surface przvaricatus is treated as praevaricatus sum (“I have transgressed / broken faith”); the printed form is almost certainly a typographical corruption of prae-.
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